Fever is very common among the little ones. It is not a disease, but a defense mechanism that activates the immune system to fight invading microorganisms. If it appears, we must be alert to certain symptoms that the child may present.
The Ministry of Health of the Junta de Andalucía has developed a guide for people caring for children with fever in which it exposes what do we have to do when the child has a fever.
The objective is to offer simple answers to a series of questions that may arise, although we must bear in mind that these do not replace the visit to the doctor, but that they are complementary information to the indications of the professional.
It is considered a fever at a temperature of 38º or higher. In most cases it is due to an infection.
To measure it, a thermometer should be used, preferably digital, which should be carefully placed in the rectum, mouth or armpit so as not to cause injuries. The recommended time is 2 minutes in the rectum and in the mouth and armpit 4 minutes.
At the time we talked about measures to reduce fever. Physical measures can be taken such as removing excess clothing, bathing in warm water and giving plenty of fluids or providing anti-thermal medications such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. The latter is not recommended for children under 6 months and should not be used in case of continued vomiting. It is also not advisable to use acetylsalicylic acid or antibiotics.
From 38º (it does not necessarily occur with very high fever) the child may suffer febrile seizures. It occurs between 3 and 5% of children and is more common in those from 1 to 2 years. To know how they are and what you should do you can consult this post.
The fever can last between 3 days and a week. It is advisable to eat foods high in calories but light to digest and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Go to the emergency room when the temperature is above 40 ° C, the child has a serious chronic disease, neck stiffness, seizures, skin spots or difficulty breathing.
